Nestled in the tree lined streets of Turner, just off Northbourne Avenue, stands one of Canberra's oldest community houses, Havelock House.

Peter Maher from Gungahlin, grew up in Dickson and has lived in Canberra his whole life. He's driven past Havelock House many times but has never been inside.

Now, he's wondering about its history.

"To me it was a mysterious looking building and sometimes it also had a bit of a scary look to it, some place I probably wouldn't have thought about coming to have a look at," he said.

"But nevertheless, the architecture of the building was something I admired and wanted to find a bit more about."

The Canberra native asked: What is the history of Havelock House?

As part of our Curious Canberra series I tracked down the answer for him and discovered that the building used to be an upmarket hostel, was once the location of a long-running winter picket and has provided shelter to the city's homeless.

Home to Canberra's first public servants

Havelock House's dinner parties, and what people wore to them, often made The Canberra Times.

Havelock House's dinner parties, and what people wore to them, often made The Canberra Times.

Supplied: Trove

I contacted the Havelock Housing Association (HHA), which manages the current residents in the house, and was given a copy of TheMemories Lingers On by historian Alan Foskett, a book about hostels in Canberra.

"Havelock House was one of many hostels that were built in Canberra in the late '40s and '50s," Alan said when I met with him.

"At that time Canberra was suffering a great shortage in accommodation...and everyone wanted Canberra to start growing.

"The only way they could house everyone was in hostels."

Alan told me that Havelock House was opened in June 1951, when more than a quarter of Canberra's population were living in hostels.

The entrance to Havelock House has not changed much since the 1950s, with a grand staircase leading up to the rooms.

Michele said as well as protesters, the picket attracted Canberrans from all walks of life.

"You had a mixture of people who were rostered on the picket, and that was a 24 hour roster over five months, and you'd have people who'd turn up to show support, give food, give blankets, give coats...and people who actually just wanted to some company or somewhere to spend the night."

"When the police came to try and pull apart the picket...we decided that we were going to link arms and not let them through."

"A number of us got arrested, but the good news is, apart from the fact that we were in a cell, was that the more of us the police took away the more reinforcements arrived.

"Ultimately the police attempt to break the picket failed."

I visited the ACT Heritage library to look for archival images of Havelock House and while I was there I was given a report on the aftermath of the protest.

I learned that the picket ended in early December when the government and protestors reached an agreement that saw Havelock House returned to low-cost housing once a suitable alternative was found for the AFP.

The government also agreed to launch an inquiry into homelessness in the ACT and withdraw the charges against those arrested who became known as the "Havelock Nine".

Havelock House today

Havelock House is now home to over a hundred residents and a number of community services.

Havelock House is now home to over a hundred residents and a number of community services.

Supplied: Alexander Thatcher

Havelock House has grown into an association and is now the largest community housing provider in the territory.

Currently it houses 101 people in 20 apartments on the south side of the building.

More recently, the house has provided low-cost accommodation and played home to many community services.

I spoke with Neil Skipper, the Managing Director of the HHA, who told me that Havelock House now accommodates ACT Shelter, the AIDS Action Council, Neighbourhood Watch, the National Union of Workers and the ACT Greens.

Neil believes that Havelock House still plays an important role in Canberra today.

"A lot of the social housing is no longer in the central areas of Canberra, particularly with urban renewal. Over time those individuals are relocating and moving out," he said.

"They're moving away from the centre of town where there's a lot of support and services.

"Havelock remaining as we are, obviously still enables that cohort of individuals to still live within the city and obviously access the services."

One upside of the regularity of high school life is that it can make finding friends easier. That's over now. It's going to take courage and be awkward but here are some ways to find new mates and maintain a good support network outside the schoolyard.